"You know what? ... I am really encouraged, " the first-year coach said of the offensive line after Thursday's practice. "We feel good about that group. This is hard for those big guys. They were not in shape. But I've been very pleased. There's all kinds of different things that we're doing that's been different than anything they've done. That's been a bright spot."

The Sun Devils lost a lot up front. Center Garth Gerhart and tackles Dan Knapp and Aderious Simmons are preparing for the NFL draft. Guards Mike Marcisz and Adam Tello also are gone. On Thursday, the first team looked like this: Junior Evan Finkenberg at left tackle, sophomore Sil Ajawara at left guard, junior Kody Koebensky at center, senior Andrew Sampson at right guard and senior Brice Schwab at right tackle.

"Obviously, it's a young group, not a lot of experience," offensive-line coach Bob Connelly said. "Our numbers, depth-wise, are not great, but I like their attitude. There's a good foundation. Over time, we have to do some educating. There's a lot being thrown at them. But with the talent, I think we'll be fine."

As for Middlebrooks, it was hard not to notice him Thursday. Getting more repetitions because of Cameron Marshall's recent ankle surgery, he broke several long runs. As a sophomore last season, Middlebrooks rushed for 150 yards, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. He caught 19 passes for 135 yards and returned kicks.

"Middlebrooks has had an unbelievable spring so far,'' Graham said.

He later added: "In what we do, our scheme, he's a guy that there's a lot of things we can do with. His toughness. Obviously, with Cam not going, he's going through an awful lot of reps, and he'll go until he falls over. I'm just very impressed with his tenacity, and he's gifted."

Saturday's scrimmage

ASU is scheduled to scrimmage from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium. The session is open to the public.

Graham said he looks forward to evaluating quarterbacks Taylor Kelly, Mike Bercovici and Michael Eubank. He also said he wants the scrimmage taken seriously.

"I believe in creating a game-day atmosphere in the stadium,'' Graham said. "We'll have an announcer. Coaches will be up and down in headsets, everything. I believe in simulation."

He also wants to see how his team responds under pressure.

"When adversity strikes, there's a certain way we want to respond,'' Graham said. "It's not yelling and screaming at each other. It's being poised. We're going to create adverse situations for them, and we'll see how they respond."